PSYCHOL 7132 - Psychological Assessment

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2018

This course aims to introduce students to the principles and practice of psychological assessment. The course will focus on a small number of widely used norm-referenced tests of abilities, and both clinician rated and self-report measures used in the assessment of emotional and behavioural problems.

Honours level knowledge of the purpose for assessment and the basic principles and practices of psychometric testing.

Restrictions

Available to M Psych (Clin) and PhD/MPsych(Clin) students only or by permission of Head of School

Course Description

This course aims to introduce students to the principles and practice of psychological assessment. The course will focus on a small number of widely used norm-referenced tests of abilities, and both clinician rated and self-report measures used in the assessment of emotional and behavioural problems.

At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge and clinical skills in the practice of psychological assessment for a variety of assessment tasks, across the lifespan.2. Demonstrate competence in the selection, administration, and scoring of assessment measures3. Demonstrate competence in drawing inferences from the results within a hypothesis generating and hypothesis testing framework4. Demonstrate competence in writing a report and letter to a referral source of a professional standard.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute

Course Learning Outcome(s)

Deep discipline knowledge

informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies

acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1

accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)

1

Critical thinking and problem solving

steeped in research methods and rigor

based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development

demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment

2,3,4

Teamwork and communication skills

developed from, with, and via the SGDE

honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies

encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning

4

Career and leadership readiness

technology savvy

professional and, where relevant, fully accredited

forward thinking and well informed

tested and validated by work based experiences

1

Intercultural and ethical competency

adept at operating in other cultures

comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts

Able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes

demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges

1

Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal

open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers

able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate

Required Resources

Lecturers will provide reading material which will be made available on MyUni, prior to or at each session.

Recommended Resources

Lecturers will provide reading material which will be made available on MyUni, prior to or at each session.

Online Learning

This course may use MyUni for one or more of the following:- Communication with students via Announcements and Discussion Board- Submission of assessment- Access to resources such as additional readings- Self-directed learning activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

Lecturers will support group discussion related to the lecture content. This will include clinical case scenarios to guide the development of psychological assessment practice. Time will also be spent familiarising students with tests, as well as practice and supervision in administration, scoring and interpreting psychological tests.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Assessment Related Requirements

Attendance is required for 80% of classes, with attendance lists maintained. Failure to meet this attendance requirement (i.e., absence from three or more classes in the course) may lead to exclusion from the course.

Assessment Detail

Assignment 1: This assignment involves student’s videoing themselves administering an intelligence scale, and then scoring the test, interpreting the results and writing a report. Students also complete a self and a peer rating of the administration of the test. The scale is administered to a role played (pseudo) adolescent ‘client’.

Assignment 2: This assignment involves students being provided with test forms, and initial information from which they are required to develop a provisional formulation of a client with a mental health problem and compile this information into a letter to a GP referrer. The assignment then involves an OSCI assessing an initial mental health interview.

Further details of both assignments will be provided in class.

Submission

Assignments are to be submitted to the Psychology Office, along with a signed cover sheet (available on MyUni).

Extension of time for an assignment may be granted at the discretion of the Course Coordinator, to whom students should apply in writing (or email) before the due date and time.No requests for extensions will be considered if made after the due date and time.

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.